Childhood Gone
by boswifedeb
Summary: When Matt and CJ return to Texas to resume ranching operations on the Houston Estate, they meet up with old friends. But the reality of childhood memories is tarnished by current circumstances, causing a friendship to end - permanently. Rated T. Not my characters, just taking them for a spin once again. This story immediately follows "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished".
1. Chapter 1

**Childhood Gone**

****This story takes place immediately after "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"****

**CHAPTER 1**

"All set?" Matt looked over at CJ, his wife of eight and a half months, and her baby bump of two and a half months. Every time he saw the baby bump he grinned.

"Yep, ready as I'll ever be." She sat down in the cockpit next to Matt. "Are you going to smile every time you see my belly for the next few months?"

"Yup. I'm proud of that belly." He reached across and took her hand as he received clearance for takeoff from the control tower. Matt was excited: he hadn't been to Texas in quite a while and was looking forward to seeing some old friends as well as Madre Rosa, the housekeeper who had helped Matt's dad to raise him. It would be the first time he and CJ had been there since their marriage. Madre Rosa had been invited to the wedding but was unable to attend due to her husband's battle with cancer. Unfortunately he had died not long after.

Matt still owned the house that he had grown up in. Mansion was a more accurate description of the estate near Houston, Texas that Matt's father had bought when his son was very young. Although he had learned that Bill Houston had adopted him when he was a baby, Matt still thought of him as his dad. Bill's death had been a big blow to Matt almost three years earlier. He couldn't bear the thought of getting rid of the house: it held too many memories – both good and bad. His biological father, Virgil Wade Mattlock had died on the front steps of the house taking a bullet that was meant for Matt. His death had been a wakeup call to his son: he took a step back and looked at his lavish lifestyle and decided that he didn't need all the money that came from running an international conglomerate. He turned that conglomerate, Houston Industries, into a way to fund charities and had put Murray Chase in charge of it. Matt no longer owned the business and was much happier. Now that he and CJ were married and expecting their first child, he hoped to build many more happy memories at the home in Texas.

Part of the reason for their trip to Texas was ranching related. Matt hadn't spent much time there since Bill had passed away, and had sold the cattle that were there afterwards. Now he was thinking about going back into the cattle business. Although he still had Houston Investigations in Los Angeles, he was taking some time off from the business and his uncle, Roy Houston, was running the agency while Matt was gone. Roy had been a CIA operative for many years before becoming a college professor. After the death of his wife Flo, he had moved to Los Angeles to work with his nephew.

The three hour flight passed quickly. Matt and CJ were picked up at the airport by Charlie Teague, one of the caretakers of the estate. As they approached the house, Matt looked over at CJ. She was almost as happy as he was to be back on familiar ground. She had grown up on the neighboring ranch that had belonged to her uncle. Unlike Matt, who had enjoyed the love of a doting father, CJ had lived with her uncle, Errol Parsons, from the age of ten. Parsons was cruel to CJ, and had it not been for Matt, she probably would have run away from home. She spent most of her time with the Houstons and came to think of Bill as a second father.

As they pulled up in front of the house, they were greeted by Madre Rosa. Matt got out of the car and hugged the woman who had practically been a mother to him. He helped CJ from the car and she and Rosa also hugged. Then she noticed the baby bump which Matt had wanted to surprise her with, and she was ecstatic. "Oh, Señor Bill would be so happy!" She hugged the couple and led them inside. As Charlie took their bags upstairs, Matt and CJ walked back into the kitchen with Rosa and sat down to talk for a little while.

"Your father, God rest his soul, always knew you two would get together. He talked about it constantly!" She smiled at the couple as Matt put his arm around his wife.

"Well, it just took us a while to figure out we could still be best friends as husband and wife, Madre Rosa." Matt hugged CJ close. "So what do you think about a little one running around here?"

"Finally! It's been too long since little feet ran through this house." She poured lemonade for the two of them. A few minutes later, Charlie stepped into the kitchen. "Houston, can I talk to you?"

"Sure. What's up?" He walked into the den with the caretaker.

"I just got a phone call from Jed Sanders's son, Jessie. Jed got bitten by a copperhead yesterday evening when he stepped off of the combine in the cornfield behind their house. He's at the hospital, and not doing too good. I thought you might want to know."

"Yeah, thanks for telling me. That's got to be rough on him. Last I heard he was having heart trouble." Matt had gone to school with Jessie and thought a lot of the Sanders family. "Have you got a number for Jessie? I haven't talked to him since – Lord, I don't know when."

Charlie pulled out his phone and gave Matt the number. He stepped out onto the back porch and called Jessie. "Hey bud, Charlie just told me what happened to your daddy. How's he doing?"

Jessie was standing in the hallway just outside his dad's hospital room. "Well, if it had been you or me, we would be swelled and sore but alright - but not Daddy. It's aggravating his heart condition. He's having a hard time of it right now. And the fact that he's worried about the corn crop isn't helping any."

Matt knew that Jessie wouldn't leave his dad alone at the hospital. Jessie's mom had died when he was ten, and it had been just the father and son ever since. They worked the farm together and were as close as could be. With Jessie taking care of his dad at the hospital, there was no one left to harvest the crop. "Well, I can't do anything to make your dad better, but I can sure help you out with the harvest if you'll let me."

"No, I couldn't ask you to do that, Houston. I'm sure you've got better things to do." Jessie didn't want to tell his friend that if they didn't get the harvest in, they were going to lose the farm.

"Hey, now. I still remember how to run a combine, buddy. Don't you be gettin' all uppity on me now, just 'cause I live in LA." Matt had a feeling that things were tight for the Sanders family, as it was for so many farming families. "How about I go take care of that for you. You can tell your dad not to worry and maybe that will help him get over the bite sooner."

Jessie hesitated. "I don't know, Houston. It…well, it would probably ease his mind."

"Alright then it's settled. I'll be over there as soon as I get changed. Tell your daddy I said hey and not to worry about it, okay?"

After discussing how the Sanders usually worked the field, Matt decided that he would be able to handle the job by himself. Matt hung up and walked back into the kitchen to let CJ know what was going on then went upstairs and changed into a pair of comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. He grabbed one of his old ball caps that was hanging on the hat rack in the bedroom and went downstairs to tell his wife goodbye. "I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. Will you be okay?" He wrapped her in his arms and gave her a big hug.

"I'll be fine. Madre Rosa and I will have all kinds of good gossip about you while you're gone…and not able to defend yourself." She kissed him and watched him head out the door. "Be careful out there."

Matt stopped and made a sudden U-turn, going into the den and walking over to the gun case, removing a pistol that he had given to his dad the year before he died. After loading it as well as a spare magazine, he headed out the back door and down to the truck that was parked there.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

As he drove onto the Sanders farm, Matt noticed that it was looking a little rough. His intuition had been right: Jessie and his dad were having a hard time. Matt found the combine in the field right behind the house and was careful to look for copperheads as he got near it. He climbed up in the cab, and checked the fuel gauge: it was almost full.

"Alright, let's see if I can still do this." Matt laughed as he started up the jumbo-sized piece of equipment and turned it, heading back into the field. Jessie had told him that he would be able to make two passes – one away from the house and one back toward the house – before he would have to unload the corn into the wagon. After a couple of passes were completed, Matt was having a good time. He had always enjoyed working on the ranch and working with the neighboring farms. Most of the grain that the Sanders farm grew was used for cattle feed.

It had been almost 2:00 when Matt had started on the cornfield and he finished it about 6:00. It had been the last one that the Sanders' had to complete. After finishing up and loading the grain into a grain trailer by the barn, Matt called Jessie to let him know that everything was finished and there were no problems.

"Houston, you have no idea how much Daddy and I appreciate this. I'll call Mr. Hawkins and let him know to pick up the trailer. He's felt a little better this afternoon, knowing that it was being taken care of." Jessie was back in the hall again.

"Do you think he would be up to having a couple of visitors tonight?" Matt wanted to see Mr. Sanders. He had done work for the man as a teenager and had always enjoyed being with him and Jessie.

"I think that might be real good for him, Houston. He's in room 310. I'll see you when you get here." He hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief.

Matt made his way back to the ranch and came in the back door like he usually did. There were CJ and Madre Rosa sitting in the kitchen and laughing. "Y'all sound like a couple of hens in here ready to lay eggs." He gave CJ and Rosa each a hug. "Feel up to making a visit this evening? I'm gonna run by the hospital to see Jessie's dad."

"Sure. I haven't seen him in a long time. He was always so sweet." She and Matt walked into the den and he replaced the pistol in the gun case. "Did you run across any copperheads?"

"No, didn't see any. But you know how they love cover, so a full cornfield is a favorite place for them." He closed the case and took a look around the room and pulled CJ into his arms. She knew how much he missed Bill. "You know I love this place, but…" He was still holding on to her tightly. "It's hard to look around here and not see Daddy sitting over there in his recliner."

CJ nodded. She knew about Matt's adoption. She hadn't known who Virgil was until the night after he was killed on the front steps. Matt had gotten drunk – something he rarely did and she knew that he was hurting. She had found him down at the barn in the hayloft, along with an empty whiskey bottle and one that was three quarters of the way empty. Sitting down beside him in the loft in the near darkness, she asked him straight out who the man was. Matt hadn't answered for a minute. He was trying his best not to cry. She hadn't seen that happen since he was eleven years old and told her about the kidnapping that he had survived.

He finally took a big breath and told her what happened a couple of nights earlier when he had come home to find Virgil there drinking Bill's bourbon. After telling her about the fight they had and then Virgil's confession that he was his biological father, he told her that he had searched through Bill's papers then and found out the truth. Virgil really was his father, and Bill's wife wasn't his mother. It was that revelation that had made Matt reassess his life. When everyone around him thought that he had lost his mind when he gave up Houston Industries, CJ knew the truth and was proud of his decision.

The two held each other close. "He really would be happy with the two of us, you know?" Matt smiled down at his wife and ran his thumb across her cheek before kissing her. "I remember how I would be rambling on about you and he would just sit there in that recliner," Matt motioned to the leather chair in the corner of the den, "and he would just smile that knowing smile that he had." He looked back down at his wife. "I should have listened to him. He knew how in love with you I was, even when I was a kid."

"You weren't the only one that he did that to, you know." She ran her hand through the curls on the nape of his neck.

"Oh, is that so?" He smiled at her.

"Yep, he tried to talk to me about it, too, when we were at Rice. Well, that was the first time." She and Matt had both attended the university that was near downtown Houston. "Of course, he wanted us to graduate before we got married. For some reason he thought we might be distracted otherwise – not quite sure why." She gave him one of those dazzling smiles of hers that he loved. "And then after we had both graduated and you came back from the Army, he tried to convince me every time he saw me." Both of them laughed.

Matt looked at his watch. "Do you want to head on over to the hospital?"

"Sure, let me go up and get my purse and I'll be right with you." She gave him a quick kiss and turned to go, but he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her – one of the long, steamy kisses that never failed to leave her weak in the knees. Neither one saw Rosa come to the door, smile, and then quickly walk away. When Matt ended the kiss, CJ stood there breathless for a minute. "Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be getting my purse." She giggled and went upstairs, all the while feeling her husband's eyes on her.

They went back through the kitchen and out the back door. Matt opened the door on the truck for her and then walked around and climbed in, catching the smile on his wife's face as he did. "What's so funny?" He stuck the key in the ignition.

"Oh, just thinking about how much you've changed. When you first started driving you had that old pickup that you rebuilt the motor on, then when we were at Rice you always drove a sports car. When you first moved to LA you had practically every kind of vehicle you could think of, and in the last year you've gone back to a truck."

Matt thought about it as he turned the key and put the truck in gear. "Yeah, you're right. I don't know I'm just happier in a truck these days. Maybe I'm a teenager all over again." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to laugh.

The drive to the hospital took about twenty minutes and they talked about how much the area had changed since they left for LA. After finding a parking space the pair walked hand in hand into the hospital and rode up to the third floor. When they stepped off of the elevator, they turned left and walked down the hall to room 310. Matt knocked on the door which was opened by Jessie.

"Houston! Man, it's good to see you. And of course CJ is with you. Some things just never change I guess." He looked down a saw the wedding ring on Matt's hand and then CJ's. "But then again maybe they do." It was then that he noticed that CJ was pregnant. "Boy, they really do! Congratulations!" He gave her a big hug. "Come on in, Daddy's been on pins and needles all evening. I told him he was going to have company." They stepped inside and saw Jed Sanders lying in the hospital bed.

"Daddy, look who's here." Jed walked over with the couple.

"Well looky there, I got me a pretty lady in here! It's good to see you, CJ. How are you doing?" She leaned over and gave him a hug. "And there's that no-good Houston boy with you just like always." Matt gave him a hug.

Jessie was grinning ear to ear. "Daddy, I think you might have missed something."

"What's that, son?"

Jessie reached and took Matt and CJ's left hands and brought them up where his dad could see.

"Well, I'll be – it's about damn time! Congratulations!" The older man beamed and shook a finger at Matt. "Your daddy always said you would come to your senses one day."

"You're still missing something, Dad." Jessie pointed at CJ's belly.

"Aww, now why couldn't you two have gotten together before Bill passed? He wanted a grand young'un running around." He patted CJ's hand. "But I'm sure he knows. You two come on and sit down, talk to an old man for a while."

As they sat and talked with the Sanders, Matt noticed that Jessie kept checking his phone and looking nervous. After spending about thirty minutes with Jed and Jessie, they heard the announcement that visiting hours were over. "Guess we better skedaddle before one of those nurses gets onto us." Matt stood and walked over to Jed's side to shake his hand. "You let us know if you need anything, you hear?"

"I sure appreciate what you did, Houston. We were in a bind for sure. Thanks again. And congratulations for finally wising up." He laughed and gave CJ another hug.

"You get better and get on outta this place." She patted his hand and they told the two men goodbye and headed on out the door. As they made their way across the parking lot, Matt kept thinking about how nervous Jessie had seemed. "What are you thinking about so hard, hon?" CJ climbed into the truck and Matt leaned against the cab while he talked to her.

"Did you notice Jessie? He kept checking his phone. Looked kinda nervous. I don't know, maybe I'm too suspicious, but it just seemed odd." He closed the passenger side door and walked around to the driver's side and got in.

"He did seem kind of jumpy." CJ thought about it.

"I got the impression when I talked to him this afternoon that things have been kind of tight for them and when I got to the farm it sure looked that way. Kind of rough looking, you know?" He started the truck and backed out of the parking space. "Maybe he's just worried about money right now. But you would think with the crop being harvested that he would relax a little bit." They rode in silence for a few minutes. "Hey, I'm getting hungry, what about you?"

"Starved." She patted her belly. "I think he's hungry, too."

"Why do you keep saying he?" Matt grinned. "It could very well be a girl, you know."

"I don't think so." She looked down. "Nope, it's a boy."

Matt just shook his head. "How about some barbeque? We could go to Oliver's."

"Oh yeah, that sounds great. I haven't been there in a long time." She reached over and patted his leg. "Good idea."

"Well of course it is. Would you expect anything else from your wonderful husband?" He held onto her hand as he drove to the little restaurant that was a few blocks away.

After a meal of ribs, cole slaw, and apple pie for dessert the couple headed back to the house and decided to watch some movies. While CJ was making a pit stop at the bathroom (and grumbling the whole time about the baby sitting on her bladder), Matt walked into the den. Bill's leather recliner looked comfortable, but Matt, out of respect for his dad, had never sat in it. Now that Bill was gone, the house and everything in it belonged to Matt. He stood there looking at the chair. CJ walked in and saw him. "You know, he would say you're being silly about it, Matt." She walked up behind her husband and put her arms around his waist. He reached back and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her up next to him. "I really don't think he would mind." She took him by the hand and led him over to it and gave him a small push into it, then climbed up in his lap. Matt just sat there. "You know it would be a lot more comfortable if you pulled that little lever over there and reclined it." She smiled up at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He grinned as he reached over and eased the chair back into the reclining position. "Sweet. I've never sat in it before. It was kind of a territory kind of thing – it was his spot, you know?" He laid his head back and closed his eyes. "Very nice. Now I know why he kept me out of it." He opened his eyes and looked at CJ. "But I bet he never sat here with a beautiful woman in his lap." Gently, he pulled her closer and kissed her.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

The next morning, Matt decided to go out and ride around the property. He wanted to check the fences and make note of what needed to be replaced before he started running cows there. After a breakfast of Madre Rosa's jeuvos rancheros, he and CJ took off in the truck and started checking the fences. He had been planning to take a horse, but since CJ wanted to go as well, he thought it would be safer for her in the truck. As they rode along, Matt pointed out places where the fence needed to be replaced, or new cattle guards needed to be installed and his wife took notes. They reached a certain area of the ranch and Matt stopped the truck and turned off the engine. He and CJ looked at each other and smiled. It had been in this very spot where the two of them had met while checking fences after a big storm. "Twenty three years ago, babe." The old tree was still standing on what used to be the Parson's ranch. She scooted over next to him on the seat. They both smiled as they thought back to that day. "And just look at us now – all three of us." Matt patted on her belly. "This is where your mom and dad met, little lady."

"Little lady? I've already told you it's a boy." She laid her head on his shoulder as he continued to pat the baby bump.

"Nope, it's a girl." He turned her face up and kissed her, a sweet gentle little kiss. "CJ, I'm sorry it took me so long to get up the courage to tell you how I felt."

"Like I've told you before, Matt, that's a two way street. I'm just as guilty as you." She kissed him and laid her head on his shoulder again. "The important thing is that we're together now."

"Yep, but just think: if we had gotten together ten years ago – we would probably have seven or eight kids by now." He grinned at her.

"I think you need to check your math, cowboy, that's an awful lot of kids for a ten year span. Cutting it pretty close, don't you think?"

"Oh well, we'll just have to get the production schedule moving better." He laughed and started the truck and they continued on their way around the property. As they approached the gate leading into another pasture, Matt opened the door to get out and slammed it closed quickly. He pulled a pistol out of the waistband of his jeans and leaned out of the window, firing a shot.

"Snake?" CJ was shaking her head: the sound of the pistol firing so close to the cab of the truck was extremely loud.

"Yep, copperhead." Matt looked around some more, then stepped out of the truck carefully and opened the gate. "Would you pull the truck through, babe?" He didn't want her getting out and taking a chance on getting bitten. She slid behind the wheel and pulled into the pasture. Matt walked over and climbed into the passenger side.

"Don't you want to be on this side so you can see the fence?" She had expected him to take the wheel again.

"Nah, you know as much about it as I do. I trust your judgment." He put his left arm across the back of the seat and rubbed the back of her neck. "That's part of the reason I married you, you know – 'cause you're smart."

She shook her head. "Always the charmer, huh?" They both laughed as they crept along looking at the fences.

By the time they got done, it was getting really warm and both were glad to go back into the cool house and have a drink. As they sat there at the kitchen table with tall glasses of lemonade, Matt was adding up the amount of fencing supplies he would need. As he sat there calculating, CJ watched him and was wondering if he had decided to quit the private detective agency. He hadn't said anything to her about it, other than he was going to take some time off from it. She wondered if maybe he was testing the waters and trying to decide if that was what he wanted. Either way, she would be happy. She worried about him when he worked on a case, but he could have been bitten by the snake out in the pasture. It seemed that no matter what he did, Matt always seemed to wind up in danger. But that was how it had always been, and she knew that he could take care of himself better than most people could.

Matt sat back in his chair, a thoughtful look on his face. "I wonder… now that Jessie's corn crop is in, do you think he would like a little side job for a while?"

"You can always ask. Thinking about getting him to help with the fencing?"

"Yeah…actually, I was thinking about seeing if he would like a permanent job. Since I won't be staying here full time, we're going to need somebody to see to the cattle - actually, several folks."

"Matt, since we're kind of on the subject – how long are you planning on taking off from work?"

He shifted in his chair and looked into his empty glass. "I'm not sure." After swirling the ice around in the bottom of his glass for a few seconds he looked up at his wife. "I know how upset you were when I took off on the project. And Uncle Roy told me about the conversation that y'all had." Nothing was said for a minute. "Sometimes I think I could walk out of that office and away from the business and not look back. And then there are other times when I know that folks need help that they can't always get from the police. And then of course there's Hoyt." Matt had helped the LAPD literally hundreds of times over the last few years – starting first at the request of Vince Novelli, and currently with Michael Hoyt. He had saved countless lives doing what he was very good at – solving crimes. But all that took a toll on him – both physically and mentally. CJ knew how close he had come to dying several times while working on a case. She had been right by his side every time and had sat watching him breathe – often wondering if each breath would be his last.

"But the "project" wasn't technically a case." Ever the lawyer, CJ knew that would get a smile out of him – and it did.

"True." He smiled and looked back down into the glass, as if the melting ice cubes could tell him what to do, which way he should go with his life. Matt set the glass down. "I just don't know, CJ."

She reached across the table and took his hand in both of hers. "I want you to know something, Matt. Whatever you decide, I'm there for you, okay?" He nodded. "Remember the conversation we had after working on the truck driver murders?" He nodded again. "It's still true: I came into this marriage with my eyes open. The job can be dangerous – but then so can ranching. Look at the snake this morning. I can't - no matter how much I may want to at times – wrap you up in bubble wrap." They both smiled.

"CJ, the way I am, I don't think there's enough bubble wrap in the world to keep me from getting into trouble. I don't look for it; it just seems to find me." Matt leaned forward and kissed her. "Thanks, babe."

"For what? I haven't done anything."

"Yes, you have. You've been there for me ever since we met – and I appreciate it more than I can ever tell you." The phone rang and Matt walked over and picked up the kitchen extension. "Houston."

"Hey, it's Charlie. I just talked to Larry Wilson – Jed Sanders had a heart attack earlier this morning – he's dead."

"No way. He seemed like he was doing pretty good last night. Damn. Okay, thanks for letting me know." He hung up the phone and stared at it for a minute before turning to his wife. "Jed Sanders died – heart attack."

"No!" CJ couldn't believe it. "I wonder if Jessie needs any help with anything."

Matt sat back down at the table and pulled out his cell phone. Jessie's number was on his phone from the day before. He dialed and waited, but there was no answer. "Maybe he's trying to work out the arrangements."

"I wonder which funeral home he'll use. Balthrop is the closest." She got up and pulled the pitcher of lemonade out of the refrigerator and refilled both of their glasses.

Matt went to get the phone book and looked up the number for Balthrop & Sons Funeral Home. He sat back down at the table and dialed the number. The phone was answered by Pete Balthrop, the owner.

"Hi, Mr. Balthrop. It's Matt Houston. Look, I was wondering…he is. Okay. Well, uh, can I ask a question? Do you think Jessie needs some help with…uh huh? He did, huh? Okay, well…Yes sir, I am. Alright. Well I guess I'll be seeing you soon then. Thanks a lot. 'Bye." He hung up the phone with a puzzled look on his face.

"What's the matter?"

"Pete said that Jessie had just been in there to make the arrangements – and paid in cash." Matt was stumped.

"He did? Ooookay, I thought they were having problems. How would Jessie come up with that kind of cash? Funerals aren't cheap." She was like Matt – totally stumped.

"I don't know CJ, but I've got a bad feeling about all this." He hated himself sometimes for being so suspicious of people – but his experiences in life had taught him that sometimes it paid to be suspicious. It had saved his life on more than one occasion. "I'm going over there." He got up and kissed his wife on the cheek. "Be back in a little while. Love you."

"I'll go with you." She started to get up and Matt put a hand on her shoulder.

"No, I want you to stay here, CJ."

"But…"

"No." He kissed her again and headed out the back door and down to the truck. She watched him go. He rarely told her no about anything. He must have had a strong feeling to react that way.

Matt made the short drive over to the Sanders farm and paid close attention this time to the outbuildings as he came up the drive. When he had been there the previous day, there hadn't been any vehicles there: now there were two pickups and an SUV parked next to an old barn. He noticed that there were chains on the front doors – along with shiny new-looking locks. Jessie's truck was in front of the house and he headed on up that way.

Jessie walked out on the front porch and met him out in the yard. "Guess you heard about Daddy?"

"Yeah, I did. I'm sorry, Jessie, he was a good man. CJ and I were wondering if you needed any help with anything."

"No, but thanks just the same. Daddy had everything all planned out and taken care of…" He looked down at the ground.

"I thought sure he was going to be okay. He seemed pretty chipper last night." Matt shook his head. "But that's what happens sometimes."

"Yeah, well…" Jessie had started to fidget and was looking at his phone again. Matt knew something was up.

"Look, Jessie. I…I know there's something going on. Do you need some help?" Jessie had always been a straight arrow, but Matt could tell that times had been tough for him and his father. People sometimes did whatever they needed to do to get by – whether it was legal or not.

"No, nothing is going on. I'm just upset about Daddy is all." He looked at Matt, but not directly in the eye.

"Look if you change your mind let me know, alright?" Matt dropped the truck into gear.

"Yeah, thanks Houston. I'll talk to you later." He stepped back from the truck and Matt went back down the drive – looking straight ahead, but seeing the barrel of a rifle in the loft door of the barn trained on him. As he passed back by the barn, he took a deep breath – and figured out exactly what was going on.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Matt made a phone call to another old friend of his – this one a deputy with the Harris County Sheriff's Department. He and Chuck Wylie had been on the baseball team together in high school. "Hey, Chuck, it's Houston. How're you doin'?"

"Hey man, I'm doing good. What're you up to?" Chuck had to speak loudly – Matt could hear a cartoon in the background and several kids laughing.

"Well, I came to town to see about putting some cows back on the ranch here and now I think I might need to talk to you about something entirely different. Do you think we could meet up somewhere?"

Chuck was shushing the kids. "Tell you what; I'll just come out there to your place. I don't think we would be able to hear each other in this house." Both men laughed.

"Alright, well I'll see you when you get here." He hung up the phone and CJ walked into the den. Matt was in the recliner and had a worried look on his face.

"So what happened?" She came and sat down in his lap and Matt reclined the chair, giving a big sigh.

"I found out how Jessie managed to pay for the funeral with cash." He closed his eyes. "Somebody is making meth in the old barn." He opened them and looked at CJ. She wore a shocked expression.

"Not Jessie, Matt. He wouldn't…are you sure?" She didn't want to believe it.

"Unfortunately, yes, I know that smell. There's no mistaking it." He closed his eyes again. "I just called Chuck Wylie and he's on his way over."

"Does he still work for the Sheriff's Department?" She rubbed his temples; she could always tell when he had a headache.

"Yep. I didn't know who else to talk to. I asked Jessie if he needed some help. I'm sure he knows that I know." Neither one said anything for a minute. Matt opened one eye and looked at his wife. "Remember what I said earlier? I don't have to look for trouble, it just finds me."

She leaned forward and kissed his forehead, then got out of the chair and headed to the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" He sat upright in the chair.

"To get you something for that headache. It's probably going to get worse before it gets better." She came back and handed him two pills and a bottle of water.

He swallowed them down and sat there thinking. "I didn't smell it yesterday, but I was moving pretty quick up that drive – and there's a good sized stretch in between the cornfield and the barn…" He shook his head. CJ sat down in his lap again and he automatically reclined the chair. She started rubbing his temples once more.

"You say you think he knows that you know…and you offered to help him, right?"

"Yeah."

"He could have taken you up on the offer, Matt. Jessie's a grown man – he's knows the difference between right and wrong."

"I know, CJ, but…" He looked for the right words. "I've been lucky in life. Daddy did good in business and I had every advantage growing up. I went to college and got lucky in business. Jessie…"

"You skipped something there, Matt. You went into the Army and paid your dues; and you didn't get lucky in business, you worked your butt off for it."

"And you and I both know he stayed there on that farm because his dad couldn't manage it without him…he would have lost everything if Jessie hadn't stayed to work it with him."

"You can't help everybody in the world, hon. especially if they don't want it." The doorbell rang and CJ started to get out of the chair to go answer it but Rosa passed by on the way to get it. A minute later she walked to the door of the den with Chuck.

"Thanks, Miss Rosa." Chuck gave her a quick hug and walked into the den, looking somewhat surprised to see CJ in Matt's lap – and with a baby bump to boot. "Is there something you two would like to tell me?" He motioned to the bump and grinned. Matt and CJ both cracked up and showed him their wedding rings. "It's about damn time! Congratulations!" He walked over to the pair and shook Matt's hand and gave CJ a hug. Both of them were still laughing.

"You know, Chuck, that's the same exact thing that everyone has said." Matt motioned for him to have a seat.

"So what was it that you want to talk to me about? You sounded kind of upset." He leaned back on the couch.

"Well, when we got here yesterday we found out that Jed Sanders had been bitten by a copperhead and was in the hospital. So I called Jessie and offered to harvest their corn crop for him."

"Okay." Chuck leaned forward.

"We went to see him at the hospital last night and he was acting pretty chipper. Well, he died earlier this morning. So we were thinking maybe Jessie could use a little help. I noticed things were looking kind of rough over there, so I called Pete Balthrop to see if he thought Jessie needed any help with the funeral expenses, and he told me that he had already paid him – in cash."

"Uh oh, that doesn't sound right." The deputy thought he knew where Matt was going with it.

"So I drove over to the farm to check and see if he needed some help with anything – thinking all the way over there that something wasn't right – and one good sniff told me the whole story: somebody is making meth in the old barn."

"Damn. I never would have expected that from Jessie. But you're sure – you know that smell I take it?"

"Unfortunately I do. I told him that I knew something was going on and offered to help him out – but he refused. Couldn't even look me in the eye after that."

"Oh boy. Not good at all. This area is just like everywhere else in the country – folks find out that they can make some money off of the stuff and labs are popping up everywhere. And with the economy in the john, there are a lot of folks turning to it just to make ends meet."

Matt nodded. "I hate to say anything about it. I always thought a lot of Jessie, and I'm sure he only did it to help his dad keep the farm, but…"

"It's dangerous as hell, Houston. Not just the actual making of it, but the people who go along with it."

"Exactly." Matt rubbed his temples. CJ had been right: the headache was getting worse. "And whoever is working on it with him had a rifle up in the hayloft keeping a bead on me when I left." CJ's head shot up: he hadn't told her that part.

"Okay, I'll make a phone call…but he's going to know it was you…and whoever else it is will, too. I hope we can get all of 'em, because if we don't…"

"I know. But I can't just turn a blind eye to it." Matt rubbed CJ's arm. "You know, this really hurts me, Chuck. We used to play together as kids."

The deputy nodded. "But those days are long past, Houston. He made the decision. Even if he did it to help his dad, he knew it was wrong and that he could get busted." He pulled out his phone and called one of the detectives that worked on the drug task force. After explaining the situation, and listening for a minute, he ended the call. Sitting back on the couch, he blew out a breath. "Well, as it turns out, he was already on their radar. So you can quit feeling guilty. They've been keeping surveillance on the place and are close to moving in on it."

Matt nodded. "I guess the best thing to do is act like nothing is wrong."

Chuck stood up and Matt lowered the footrest on the chair and he and CJ got to their feet. The deputy looked down at CJ's baby bump and grinned again. "Congratulations again, hon." He gave her another hug. The two men shook hands and they walked with him to the front door. "Tell you what, Houston. I'm going to talk to the detective and see if he can post a car on your property – until the bust happens at least. You two be careful and keep a low profile until this is over, okay?"

"We can do it, bud. Thanks for your help." Matt closed the door behind him and looked at CJ. "We need to let Madre Rosa know what's going on so she can keep an eye out for trouble." He locked the door and they headed back to the kitchen where something that the housekeeper was cooking smelled awfully good.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

After eating one of his favorite meals, Madre Rosa's tamales, CJ and Matt walked down to the barn. Matt still had a couple of horses there and was thinking about getting a few more to help with the cattle. There were certain situations where a horse was still handier than a truck. He decided to check out the barn and see if any improvements were needed before adding more horses.

After inspecting all of the stalls and the tack room, Matt thought the barn was going to be fine just as it was. The only work that he wanted to do on it was to put down a new layer of gravel. Satisfied with what they saw, the pair started heading back up toward the house when they saw Madre Rosa on the back deck waving at them. "Matt, you have phone call." He waved his hand and took the phone from her as he got to the top step.

"Houston."

"Hey, it's Chuck. Det. Lyons says that there's a patrol car on the way over there. They'll probably just park inside the front gate and keep an eye out. Sound okay to you?"

"Yeah, that's great. I appreciate it." He walked back down the steps to put some distance between himself and the two women. "Do you know when they're going to move on it?"

"Not yet. Lyons didn't actually come out and say it, but I think they've got somebody undercover in there. From what I gathered, it sounds like Jessie isn't really taking an active part in the lab – he's just renting the space to them. But as long as he knows what they're doing in there he's guilty."

Matt sighed. "Okay. I just wish there was some way to … I don't know. Like CJ said earlier, he's a grown man and knows right from wrong."

"She's right. It was his decision to get involved in it. He'll have to deal with the consequences. Do you know when the funeral is going to be?"

"No, I haven't heard anything. I wonder if it's on the website, maybe?" He kicked at some gravel.

"Hang on I'm pulling it up now. Okay, here it is. Says the visitation will be Friday from 10 until 2, then the funeral."

"Alright." It was Wednesday evening. Matt wondered if the bust would happen before the funeral.

"I know what you're thinking, and I am, too. Will it happen before or after, right?"

"Yeah. Maybe it's a good thing Jed went when he did."

"Uh huh. Well, I gotta go. We're having a birthday party for the #3 kid tonight. Nothing like cardboard pizza and arcade games that are too loud."

Matt laughed. "Have a good time."

He walked back up on the porch and sat down on the swing with CJ, who pulled her feet up on the swing and leaned over, putting her head on his shoulder. Neither one said anything for a few minutes. They sat and enjoyed the beautiful sunset. When it was almost dark Matt suggested going back inside. CJ didn't answer. He craned his neck over slightly and looked down: she had dozed off on him. He wrapped an arm around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek, causing her to stir. "Hey Lil Mama, think we better go in before the mosquitoes try to carry us off." She sat up and yawned.

"Okay." She unfolded her legs and he opened the door for her. They went inside and curled up in the recliner together, watching movies until they both drifted off to sleep.

Thursday morning rolled around and Matt decided to go order the fencing supplies that he needed. As he drove into town with CJ by his side, his mind drifted back to Jessie Sanders. CJ watched him as the rode along and knew he was thinking about the meth lab.

After ordering the supplies, the couple headed back to the house. Both were quiet as they rode along. Matt turned into the parking lot of a little store not far from the house. As he switched off the engine he looked over at CJ. "What do you think about doing a little fishing today?"

She smiled. "Have you ever known me to turn down a fishing trip?" They got out and went inside for some night crawlers, then headed back to the house. Matt went looking for Madre Rosa and found her in the kitchen. "How would you like a catfish dinner tonight?" He put an arm around the older lady's shoulders.

"I was wondering how long it would be before you went fishing." She smiled up at the man, thinking back to when he was a little boy who would rather be riding a horse or fishing more than anything else in the world – except for playing baseball or football. "What if you don't catch any?" She always teased him with that line. There had never been a time when he had failed to bring fish home.

"Then I guess we'll just go hungry." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and he and CJ picked up the fishing rods from the barn and headed down to the river in the truck. They sat under the same old oak tree that they always did and cast out, catching bluegills almost immediately. When they had enough, they moved down the river a little ways to one of their favorite spots for catfish. While they were waiting for a bite, they leaned back against the old oak tree. Matt hugged her close and turned her face up to his, capturing her mouth in a kiss.

"Well, we never used to do that when we were fishing!" CJ laughed and both of them quickly grabbed their fishing rods as both lines pulled tight with the weight of fish on. When they landed the fish, both of them broke out laughing: they were both blue catfish, and appeared to be the same exact size. They spent three more hours there, laughing and talking about things they had done as kids. When they got ready to leave, Matt stopped and looked back at their fishing spot. "Just think, CJ, before we know it we'll have somebody else to bring here." He pulled her close to him and kissed her once again before they headed to the truck.

Once back at the house, Matt quickly cleaned the fish and took the filets in to Madre Rosa. "I guess you still know how to fish. Looks like we won't go hungry tonight – or for a few nights!"

After supper, Matt wandered out on the back deck and was leaning on the rail sipping a cup of coffee. CJ and Rosa were both in the kitchen and were watching him. Rosa spoke first. "CJ, what's bothering him? Is it the problem with Jessie Sanders?"

"That's part of it." CJ sat down at the table and so did Rosa. She looked out the back door at her husband. "He's also trying to decide what he wants to do."

Rosa looked at her in surprise. "What he wants to do? About what?"

"He's thinking about closing the detective agency. Part of him wants to – but another part doesn't." She paused for a minute. "Matt's good at what he does – very good. But it's dangerous at times. He's been shot plenty of times – stabbed, hit by cars, beat up – you name it. He wants to be around for this one," she patted her belly, "and any others that we have."

"And he also wants to help people." Rosa nodded her head. "You know he's always been like that – even as a very small boy."

"And what happened to him when he was five plays a big part in what he does now." CJ was talking about the kidnapping. Matt had been taken by two men in the middle of the night. He had been abused and tormented by them.

Rosa had been working in the Houston household since Bill had moved into the house – not long after the kidnapping. She knew about what had happened to Matt. "That's the part of him that wants to keep the agency, right?"

CJ nodded. "He's been thinking about it for a while now, but …I don't know. He's torn."

"What do you think about it?" Rosa thought she knew what the answer would be.

"I've told him I'll back him whatever he decides." She looked down at her coffee cup. "But I don't think he'll be happy unless he's still got the agency." CJ looked up at Rosa and smiled. "It's a big part of him. He's helped the police with more cases than you could imagine – and quite frankly – they depend on him. It's just something he needs to work out for himself. But I'm pretty sure what he'll do."

"The important thing has already been said: you'll support him no matter what." They both smiled and continued to watch Matt as he pondered on what his future held.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Friday morning rolled around. CJ and Matt had slept in and now sat at the kitchen table talking after breakfast. "So what do you think – are you going?" CJ looked over at her husband.

Matt knew she was talking about the funeral. "Yeah, I guess so. What about you?"

She nodded. "I'd like to say goodbye to Jed."

"I suggest we get there right before the funeral. I really don't think we'll have any trouble though."

"So what are you going to do in the meantime?"

"Don't know. What about you?"

CJ shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. There really isn't much TO do." She was starting to miss being at the office. "Maybe we should call and check up on Uncle Roy."

"Good idea." Matt looked at his watch. "But that's going to have to wait for a little bit – time difference, ya know." They both sat there in silence, the sound of the clock on the wall ticking away the time. He looked back at CJ. "Think I'm going to go down and take out one of the horses for a while." Matt stopped and gave her a kiss as he made his way to the door.

Heaving a big sigh, CJ got up and wandered around the house. She walked into the den, looking at the wall full of pictures and trophies. Matt had played baseball and football from the time he was five years old until he graduated from college. He had also been in rodeos – calf roping, bull riding, and bronc riding. Bill had made sure there was at least one picture to go with each trophy and walking from one end of the den to the other gave a clear picture of how the boy grew into the man that he was now. She walked over to the bookshelf and pulled down a couple of photo albums and curled up in the recliner to look at them, laughing at some of the pictures of Matt as a baby. As she flipped through the pages, CJ noticed a difference in Matt and it took her a minute to determine what it was: his eyes had a more serious expression. She looked at the date on the photo where she first noticed it. It was three months after he had been kidnapped. Part of his childhood had been stolen away, and it took a while before that carefree smile was seen again. By the time there were pictures of both of them in the album Matt was already starting to resemble the man he would later become. She had never really noticed it before, but in most of the pictures of the two of them, Matt had his arm around her as if to protect her. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that even at the age of ten, he had actually been protecting her from her uncle and his cruel temper. She jumped when she heard his voice.

"Whatcha lookin' at so hard?" He crossed the room and stood in front of her.

"Oh, some old pictures. Guess this little guy is going to be looking a lot like his dad." She patted on her belly.

"Nope. That little lady is going to look like her mama." He leaned over with both hands on the arm of the recliner and kissed her.

"It's a boy, I'm telling you."

"Nope. Girl." He gave her a big smile.

"Why do you keep saying that?" She scooted over to give him room to sit down, which he did, then pulled her onto his lap.

"Because – I've just got a gut feeling that it's a girl." He played with a strand of her hair before kissing her. "Have you checked on Uncle Roy yet?"

"No, I kind of got lost going down memory lane." She closed the album and set it on the table.

Matt picked up the phone and dialed his office. "Hey Chris, how's it going? Good. Is Uncle Roy in? Aha, I see." He covered the receiver. "He's out helping Hoyt with a case." Uncovering it, he spoke to his secretary again. "We're doing pretty good. Got a funeral to go to later, but other than that everything is great. Yeah, we've already ordered the supplies we're going to need – now all I have to do is hire a few folks and get to work." He listened as Chris was telling him about her boyfriend, Murray Chase and how he had managed to break his arm playing tennis. "Well, tell him I said feel better and you two behave, okay? I will. 'Bye." He hung up the phone and told CJ about Murray. Both of them snickered and then Matt looked at his watch. "Guess I better go hit the shower and shave."

CJ stood up and followed him upstairs to the bedroom that they were using. It had been Matt's room from the time he moved into the house. There were still posters on the walls that he had had in his teenage years and CJ had teased him about them every night that they had been there. As he got ready to shower he stopped what he was doing and looked around at them now. "Guess it's about time to ditch these ladies on the wall. I've got a much prettier one now."

"Yeah right, one with a belly that is expanding by the second it seems." She was curled up on the bed.

"Yep, and for good reason. That's our love expanding there, ya know." He leaned over and kissed her, then decided that the shower would wait until they spent a little quality time together.

Matt and CJ arrived at the funeral home half an hour before the service was scheduled to start. They met several people that they had known while growing up in the area and none seemed surprised that they were married now. As they made their way to the front of the chapel, Matt's eyes met Jessie's. He gave CJ a hug and shook Matt's hand and they talked about his dad for a minute before the couple went to take a seat.

After the service they followed the procession to the cemetery and stood by for the graveside service. When it was over and everyone was drifting away, Jessie approached Matt. "Can we talk for a minute, Houston?"

"Sure." He opened the truck door for CJ and helped her in, then stepped away a few feet to talk to Jessie.

"Look, I know you figured out what's going on. And I want you to know – I only did it so Daddy wouldn't lose the farm. But I've told them it's over and they have to leave. I'm going to sell the farm and go somewhere else. Start over, you know?"

Matt nodded. He was torn, but knew that he couldn't tell Jessie that they police were already onto the operation. "Well, good luck." He didn't know what else to say to the man. "And Jessie," the man turned back to face him, "be careful, okay?" Jessie nodded and turned to leave. Matt watched him walk across the grass. He got into the truck next to CJ.

"What was that all about?"

"He says he told them to leave and he's going to sell the farm – move somewhere else and start over." He put the key in the ignition and leaned back in the seat.

"You don't have any reason to feel guilty, Matt." She reached over and put her hand on his arm then leaned across the seat and kissed him on the cheek.

"I may not have a reason for it, but I do feel guilty." He started the truck, dropped it into gear, and left the cemetery behind.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

After they got back to the house, Matt changed clothes and was going to take out one of the horses for a ride again to sort things out in his mind. As he and CJ came back downstairs the phone began ringing. He picked it up. "Houston."

"Hey, it's Chuck. They just made the raid on the Sanderson place. All of the guys in the barn have been taken into custody, but Jessie is holed up in the house. Det. Lyons wanted me to call you and see if you might be able to come over here and talk him out."

Matt closed his eyes then opened them and looked at CJ. "Yeah, I'll be right there." He told his wife what was going on.

"I'll come with you." She started for the door.

"CJ, stay here – please. There's no telling what might happen – plus you don't need to be around those chemicals." He pointed to the baby.

She nodded. "Matt, please be careful, okay?"

"I will, babe. Love you." He kissed her on the cheek and walked out the back of the house and got into the truck.

Watching him drive away, she had a bad feeling. She didn't think Jessie would do anything to hurt him, but then again she never thought that the man would have rented space to meth makers either. She walked into the den and sat down in the recliner as Rosa walked in.

"Where is Matt going?" Rosa looked at her and saw that she was worried. CJ told her what was going on. The older lady sat down on the couch. "You know, he is a lot like Señor Bill. People were always coming to him for help or advice."

CJ smiled as she thought back to the times when she stayed at Matt's house. It seemed like there was always someone coming to talk to Bill. The conversations were usually carried out in the kitchen over a pot of coffee. "Matt and I used to joke that he was kind of like the Godfather."

Rosa smiled. "Actually, it was like that to a certain extent. But of course Señor Bill would never do anything illegal." They both laughed.

Matt pulled up behind a long line of vehicles from the sheriff's department and the DEA. He walked up the drive and was stopped by an officer. He gave the young deputy his name and was escorted up to the yard where a SWAT van was parked.

Chuck looked back and saw him coming and nudged the officer that was standing next to him. "Detective Lyons, Agent Torres, this is Matt Houston." The men shook hands. "Chuck here tells me that you know this guy pretty well." Lyons looked back toward the house as he spoke.

Matt nodded. "We grew up together. What exactly has he said?"

"He's refusing to come out. I don't know if he has any weapons in there, but I have to go on the assumption that he does." Torres was younger than Lyons by about ten years.

"I know there are some shotguns and rifles there that belonged to his dad." Matt heaved a big sigh.

"Well, I would appreciate it if you would try to talk him out of there. We really don't want to hurt him." The detective handed Matt a bullhorn.

"What kind of time is he facing?" Matt needed to know what Jessie was going to have to deal with in order to be able to make a valid argument.

"Four to five years. He doesn't have any priors so that will work in his favor." Torres looked back toward the house.

Matt handed the bullhorn back to Lyons and pulled out his phone instead, bringing Jessie's cell phone number up on the screen. He punched the call button. "Jessie, it's Houston. Look, you need to come on out of there, bud. These guys don't want to hurt you, okay? I've been talking to them and they seem pretty good. And CJ and I will do what we can to help you. So come on out."

"Do you remember the time Daddy caught us smoking a cigarette back behind that barn when we were eleven?" Jessie laughed, but sounded as though he had been crying.

"Yeah, I remember. He tore my tail up and then I got another whoopin' when I got home. You were lucky – you only got the one." He laughed as he thought back on it. "Sure made me want to avoid cigarettes."

"Yeah, me too." Matt heard him crying. "Houston, I've really screwed up. We're not talking about cigarettes anymore, ya know?"

"It's not as bad as it seems. We're talking four to five years, Jessie. You've never been in any trouble before, right? So you won't get as much time. You go in, serve your time and come back out. Fresh start. That's what you said you wanted to do earlier."

"Yeah, but I can't go to jail, Houston. I don't think I could handle it." He was crying louder and Matt was getting more worried.

"Look, we'll see if we can get you put someplace where it isn't so rough. And maybe if you help these guys they can help you, too. CJ is one hell of a lawyer, man; she can help you with this. Just come on out before it gets any worse."

Jessie didn't say anything. Matt gave him a minute to think about it. "Look, Chuck is out here. Do you really think he would let them hurt you? You know for a fact he's a good guy. He was one of us." Jessie still didn't say anything. "Jessie?" There was no reply.

Matt heard a sob. "You know, I'm glad Daddy didn't live to see this. He didn't have a clue what was going on down there. I told him they were working on a biofuel and that they had to keep the place locked up so nobody would steal their idea."

"You were trying to protect him, Jessie. He would have understood."

"No, he wouldn't. Houston, I'm sorry." The call was disconnected.

Matt hit the redial button but before the call went through the old farm house in front of them exploded. Everyone ducked down behind cover and Matt felt his heart stop for a moment. He looked over at Chuck who looked as shocked as Matt felt.

The fire trucks that had already been called out because of the meth lab were brought up in front of the house and began putting out the flames. The smell of natural gas was in the air. Evidently he had turned on the gas in the oven and let the house fill up before he triggered the explosion.

The SWAT van was moved back out of the way and Matt and Chuck leaned against it, watching as the firefighters tried to contain the blaze and keep any of the sparks from getting near the lab. Chuck walked around to the other side of the van and Matt followed. The deputy walked over to the edge of the grass and threw up. Matt was wondering if he was going to as well. He sat down in the door of the van and put his head in his hands. Chuck wandered back over to him. "You better call CJ and let her know you're okay."

Matt nodded and pulled out his phone and called the house. CJ picked up the phone before it finished ringing the first time. "Matt?" He could hear the worry in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

CJ knew from the sound of his voice that Jessie wasn't okay. "What happened?" Matt told her and could hear her start to cry on the other end of the line.

"Calm down, babe, okay? You don't need to be getting upset. I'm on my way home. I love you." He stood and started walking down the driveway toward his truck.

"Love you, too Matt." She hung up and tried to bring her knees up to her chin, then realized that the baby wouldn't let her do that anymore. She smiled down at the bump and patted on it. "Daddy's on the way home."

Matt came in through the back door and found CJ still sitting in the den. She got up and ran into his arms. She wasn't crying anymore and Matt was relieved. "Come on." He walked over to the recliner and sat down in it, CJ sitting in his lap. He kicked the chair back and she wrapped her arms around his neck and put her head on his chest. Matt kissed the top of her head and held her tight, then reached down with his left hand and began to rub on her belly. The pair stayed there for a couple of hours, then walked out onto the back porch and sat in the swing, watching the sunset.


End file.
